I fell in love with Beth O'Leary's writing and characters when I read 'The Flatshare' so I was ever excited to read this book as well.

This was a book that was easy to read and was very lighthearted while still dealing with some very real and heavy topics. The characters are written in a way that makes them feel very real and makes them easy to relate to.

This was also an audiobook and one thing that this book did with audio that was a lot of fun was that when there was a phone call the audio would sound like we were listening through a phone which made for a much more immersive listening experience.

I enjoyed Beth O'Leary's writing. Easy, lighthearted reads, with some depth, too. I will say, the audio version of both this one and her previous book were not great quality to me; you could hear people swallowing, making little noises, it was just very distracting.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book about a granddaughter and grandmother switching homes. This book felt like a lighthearted read but there was also some serious subject matter in the story (death, grief, loss, betrayal). It was about the grandmother and granddaughter switching homes and having a break from their own life and about them discovering themselves again and facing what was blocking them or making them stuck in a place due to events that had occurred. Facing their grief and moving forward. But it also seems lighthearted and funny at times. I highly recommend this book.

*2.5 ⭐️

Leena and her grandmother, Eileen, are a little bit stuck in life. Leena is stressed because of work and told to take a break. Eileen is feeling a bit lost after she and her husband separated. So Leena and Eileen decide to switch lives in order to gain a new lease of life.

I absolutely adore the premise of the book. I’ve seen the concept before but it was done in a unique way. Rarely do we get stories from older perspectives so it was refreshing to see that.

However, my big gripe with this book is that it was trying to do too much. There were too many characters and too many plot lines that I didn’t feel connected to any of them. As Eileen and Leena are both equally main characters, you get double the amount of plot and it just didn’t work.


That being said, I do love the way that Beth O’Leary handles heavier topics in her light contemporary stories. Leena lost her sister to cancer so there’s quite a bit about her trying to cope compared to how her mother and grandmother are coping.

All in all, I would recommend if you want a light and quick read that has a few heavier topics, it just wasn’t for me.

I was surprised by how much I enjoyed this book. It was a delight. Often times when a book is told from two narrators there is one that I like better than the other. In The Switch, each Eileen and Leena's storylines. The book does cover some important topics, including death and depression, but it added depth to the story. The sub characters really added to this book and made me want to move to Yorkshire!

If you're looking for a book that will warm your heart - this is it.

This was a very well done audiobook! SOmetimes I have a difficult times with the narrators but this one flowed very nicely. Beth O'Leary does a fantastic job and I can't wait to read her next book!

Thank you to netgalley and the publishers for providing me with an arc for an honest review!

I didn't really enjoy the voice of the narrator so I won't recommend the audiobook. However, I do acknowledge that the narrator suited the characters. Reading the story physically did this book more justice for me.

This was a lovely book which worked very well in the audio format. Both narrators were very talented but I feel like it could have been abridged slightly as my interest wavered towards the end. Thank you for sharing with me!

I thought the audio version of this was done wonderfully. I like how it switched back and forth from Leena to Eileen, and that they used two narrators. I just loved Eileen, I think her story was my favorite!!! The idea of switching places for two months was fun, reminded me a bit of The Holiday. I loved all the friends that both Leena and Eileen met along the way. While some of the book was completely predictable, it was just a joy to read. (Or rather listen to.)

Bottom Line: Read it!

**I received a copy of The Switch on audiobook from Netgalley in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are of my own.**

I really enjoyed this audiobook! I loved the unique concept of Eileen and Leena switching lives in order to give themselves a new perspective. It was so heartwarming that the majority of the characters in this book were extremely kind, and allowed both Eileen and Lena to make new friends and provided support during rough times. Overall, this was a great and wholesome book from the beginning to the very end.

Thanks to NetGalley for providing this audiobook in exchange for my honest review.

Amazing light-hearted fun! Perfect for a summertime beach read, or just a cosy read to easily digest. The characters are brilliantly brought to life by both narrators of this audiobook - they truly fleshed out the characters and made them so much more realistic, humorous, and relatable. I'd recommend this to anyone seeking a little bit of joy through a book!

The Switch follows a granddaughter (Leena) and grandmother (Eileen) duo. Leena has just had a panic attack at work and has been told to take a two month break from work, and her grandmother is trying to start dating again but believes her pool of men is too small. So they decide to switch lives, Leena goes to her grandmother’s in the more rural area, and Eileen goes to her granddaughter’s place in the city.

This was a really cute story with a beautiful familial relationship. I wasn’t sure how I would like Eileen’s chapters (since she’s a lot older), but she was really spunky and you could tell she really loved her granddaughter and tried to look after her. Leena’s chapters were all about self-development and learning to be okay with herself after the tragedy of losing her sister. I really enjoyed seeing her transformation.

One thing I felt kind of iffy about was Leena’s relationship with her boyfriend. In the beginning, he seemed like a good guy, and then it seemed like the author created trouble for the sake of creating trouble. It definitely helped advance the plot, and show a lot of Leena’s fears and insecurities, but I don’t know how realistic it was for her boyfriend to act that way.

I listened to this on audiobook and I thought both of the narrators did a fantastic job. I definitely liked Eileen’s narrator the best, but thought Leena’s did a good job with the vocal representation of anxiety. I also enjoyed how the audio changed to kind of electronic sounding when a character was on the phone.

This was my first book by the author, and overall I really enjoyed it. I would recommend to those looking for books with tight family relationships, and cutesy romance. As someone who is really close with her grandmother, I highly enjoyed this.

Steam level: mostly off screen, light kissing on screen

Trigger warnings: Light emotional abuse
Representation: Loss of a family member, anxiety, and panic attacks

This book was adorable and feel-good. I thought the audiobook narration was very well done and helped establish the dual perspective storyline. Eileen was my favorite character, I felt like she was so herself and not sorry for it. Leena on the other hand was still figuring herself out and had some growing up to do throughout the story.

I loved that after Eileen and Leena decide to switch homes & responsibilities, they pretty much embraced everything about it. I think I expected more hesitation from one or the other but I guess it showed how much they both desperately wanted change.

I will say don't go into this expecting romance, it is truly just a charming and uplifting story that emphasizes finding yourself has no age limit.

*I received an audiobook from Netgalley and Macmillan Audio in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

This book was exactly what I was looking for and a fabulous follow-up to The Flatshare! The setting, the characters, the storyline - everything about this book was enjoyable. There were no crazy twists or turns to the storyline (the synopsis tells you what to expect) but if you’re looking for a book that will make you smile, this is it!

4 1/2

I finally finished The Switch by Beth O’Leary! First off, the fact that it has taken me since August to finish this book is by no means a reflection on the novel, but rather the fact that it was an audiobook and I seemed to have forgotten how I used to “read” my audiobooks in the past. Ha. Fortunately I remembered.

The Switch is about Leena Cotton, a one-time wunderkind who has hit a brick wall after the death of her sister and experiences a panic attack during an important meeting, and her grandmother, Eileen, who is looking to start over after her husband leaves her. Given the title, you can probably imagine that they switch lives with Leena returning to her Yorkshire home and Eileen setting off for Leena’s life in London. So we have not one but two fish-out-of-water stories.

While The Switch might be classified as a romance, I found the story to be more about general relationships, even the relationship that a person has with herself, finding oneself, evolving into oneself or who one may be meant to be. Neighbors in both locales learn about each other. Mothers and daughters create a gateway to understanding. Men and women come to know each other a little better, even sorting through previous misunderstandings.

Most of the outcomes were not surprises, but still it was delightful to see how they were achieved. And the ending brought me to tears, especially as the actress narrating Eileen choked up with tears.

While there were many, many characters, I did not have a difficult time keeping track of them, even with an audiobook. Most were well-drawn characters, although I did have some difficulty keeping track of some of the background neighborhood watch characters in Yorkshire.

Both actresses did a wonderful narration job, bringing the story to life, making me laugh and cry as the situation warranted. I have not read any previous Beth O’Leary novels, but I will certain to seek them out after this sweet story.

The Switch is for fans of British chick lit/relationship novels.

I received an audio ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Having not read The Flatshare, this was my first Beth O’Leary book, and I really enjoyed it!

This was a perfect cozy weekend read as O’Leary did such a great job building Eileen and Leena’s world and engulfing me in its whimsy!

My big takeaway from this book is something I think so many people are learning throughout this pandemic - “It’s never too late to love the life you deserve”.

I recommend this to anyone looking for a positive and unique plot line full of love, family, and life lessons!

I did not enjoy this book as much as Nina Hill. Maybe it was the audio narration but the voices were a little hard to listen to.

I was able to listen to this via Net Galley, so I assume it is not a finished copy.

I liked this book a lot. We follow Lena and her grandmother Eileen, as they switch lives for a couple of months after falling on hard times with family loss. The relationship between Lena and her grandmother is absolutely perfect! I loved reading the family dynamics, the side characters, and the love interests!

Whenever a dog is involved in the romance portion of a book, I know it is going to be a good one!! Highly recommend!

BRILLIANT narrators for this gorgeous novel. I read this in physical format first and adored the storyline, and the narrators of the audiobook have really brought the story to life exactly as I imagined it with my first read. I highly recommend this in either format!

A good story about loss, grief, family and love. This book was a little drawn out in parts and I did find myself struggling to connect to the characters. Overall a pleasant read.